System and method for ending view change protocol

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for performing view change. One of the methods is to be implemented on a blockchain and performed by a first node of N nodes in a view change protocol. The method includes: multicasting a view change message to at least some of the N nodes; obtaining, respectively from at least Q second nodes of the N nodes, at least Q echo messages each comprising: a consistent current view known to the second node indicating a primary node designated among the N nodes, and a consistent current sequence number known to the second node, the current sequence number associated with a latest transaction or a latest block, the current sequence number is larger than a first sequence number known to the first node; and responsive to obtaining the at least Q echo messages, ending the view change protocol.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of the U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/498,348 filed on Sep. 26, 2019 and entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENDING VIEW CHANGE PROTOCOL”, which is a nationalphase application of International Application No. PCT/CN2019/078492,filed on Mar. 18, 2019 the contents of which are incorporated byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application generally relates to methods and devices for performingview change, and in particular, to methods and devices for ending viewchange in a Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) system.

BACKGROUND

Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) is a type of consensusmechanism that can be implemented in distributed systems such asblockchain systems. PBFT consensus mechanism enables a distributedsystem to reach a sufficient consensus with safety and liveness, despitethat certain nodes of the system may fail (e.g., due to poor networkconnection or otherwise becomes faulty) or propagate incorrectinformation to other peers (e.g., acting maliciously). The objective ofsuch mechanism is to defend against catastrophic system failures bymitigating the influence of the non-functioning nodes on the correctfunction of the system and on the consensus reached by the functioningnodes (e.g., non-faulty and honest nodes) in the system.

The PBFT consensus mechanism focuses on providing a practical Byzantinestate machine replication that tolerates Byzantine faults (e.g.,non-functioning nodes) through an assumption that there are independentnode failures and manipulated messages propagated by specific andindependent nodes. In this PBFT consensus mechanism, for example, allnodes in a blockchain system are ordered in a sequence with one nodebeing the primary node (also known as the leader or master node) and theothers referred to as the backup nodes (also known as follower nodes).All of the nodes within the system communicate with each other and thegoal is for all honest nodes to come to an agreement/consensus on astate of the system.

For instance, for the PBFT consensus mechanism to work, the assumptionis that the amount of non-functioning nodes in a blockchain systemcannot simultaneously equal or exceed one third of the overall nodes inthe system in a given window of vulnerability. The method effectivelyprovides both liveness and safety as long as at most F nodes arenon-functioning nodes at the same time. In other words, in someimplementations, the number F of non-functioning nodes that can betolerated by the PBFT consensus mechanism equals (N−1)/3, rounded downto the nearest integer, wherein N designates the total number of nodesin the system. In some implementations, a blockchain system implementingthe PBFT consensus mechanism can handle up to F Byzantine faults wherethere are at least 3F+1 nodes in total. To perform consensusverifications, each node executes a normal operation protocol under theleadership of the primary node. When a node thinks that the primary nodeis non-functioning, the node may enter a view change protocol toinitiate a change of the primary node. After a new primary node replacesthe non-functioning primary node under an agreement by a majority ofnodes, the nodes switch back to the normal operation protocol.

In current technologies, a node exits the view change protocol accordingto the traditional procedure: waiting for a majority of nodes to alsoenter the view change protocol and agree that the primary node isnon-functioning. In the traditional view change protocol, this conditionis that when at least 2F+1 nodes enter the view change protocol andmulticast the view change message respectively, the new primary nodeobtaining at least 2F+1 view change messages multicasts the new viewmessage to help the nodes get back to normal operation. However, in somecases, network communication disruption may cause a node to mistakenlydetermine that the primary node is non-functioning and enter the viewchange protocol while the other nodes still in normal operation. As aresult, the node is stuck in the view change protocol and effectivelyshut out of the consensus process. The delay before bringing the stucknode back to normal operation is unpredictable, because it may depend onwhen a real primary node break-down or malfunction happens. Thus, thestuck node's computing power is wasted while waiting for other nodes tojoin the view change. Thus, it is desirable to provide an alternativemechanism that can help nodes to exit the view change protocol.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the specification include, but are not limitedto, systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media forperforming view change.

According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented view change methodto be implemented on a blockchain maintained by a number (N) of nodes isperformed by a first node of the N nodes that is in a view changeprotocol. The method comprises: multicasting a view change message to atleast some of the N nodes; obtaining, respectively from at least Qsecond nodes of the N nodes, at least Q echo messages each comprising(1) a consistent current view known to the second node indicating aprimary node designated among the N nodes and (2) a consistent currentsequence number known to the second node, the current sequence numberassociated with a latest block or a latest transaction committed by thesecond node, wherein the current sequence number is larger than a firstsequence number known to the first node, Q (quorum) is (N+F+1)/2 roundedup to the nearest integer, and F is (N−1)/3 rounded down to the nearestinteger; and responsive to obtaining the at least Q echo messages,ending the view change protocol.

In some embodiments, the at least Q echo messages are respectively sentby the at least Q second nodes to the first node in response to the atleast Q second nodes obtaining the view change message.

In other embodiments, the current sequence number comprises a height ofa second copy of the blockchain maintained by the second node; and thefirst sequence number comprises a height of a first copy of theblockchain maintained by the first node.

In yet other embodiments, the current sequence number comprises asequence number of the latest transaction committed by the second node;and the first sequence number comprises a sequence number of a latesttransaction committed by the first node.

In still other embodiments, the echo message comprises a digitalsignature certifying the current view and the current sequence numberboth known to the second node.

In some embodiments, the echo message further comprises a digest of thelatest block or the latest transaction.

In other embodiments, the digest comprises a hash value of the latestblock or the latest transaction.

In yet other embodiments, the digest comprises a Merkle root of a blockof the latest block known to the second node but unknown to the firstnode.

In still other embodiments, ending the view change protocol comprises:synchronizing a first copy of the blockchain maintained by the firstnode with a second copy of the blockchain maintained by second node; andexiting the view change protocol to enter a normal operation protocolusing the consistent current view for the first node.

In some embodiments, the current sequence number known to the at least Qsecond nodes is (n+1); and the first sequence number known to the firstnode is n.

In other embodiments, the current view for the at least Q second nodesis v; and when in the view change protocol, the first node has a firstview larger than v.

In yet other embodiments, the N nodes form a Practical Byzantine FaultTolerance (PBFT) network, in which one of the N nodes acts as theprimary node and the other (N−1) nodes act as backup nodes.

In still embodiments, a view change system comprises: one or moreprocessors; and one or more computer-readable memories coupled to theone or more processors and having instructions stored thereon that areexecutable by the one or more processors to perform the method of any ofthe preceding embodiments.

In some embodiments, a view change apparatus comprises a plurality ofmodules for performing the method of any of the preceding embodiments.

According to another embodiment, a view change system is for maintaininga blockchain, wherein a number (N) of nodes maintain the blockchain, thesystem acting as a first node of the N nodes that is in a view changeprotocol. The system comprises one or more processors and one or morenon-transitory computer-readable memories coupled to the one or moreprocessors and configured with instructions executable by the one ormore processors to cause the system to perform operations comprising:multicasting a view change message to at least some of the N nodes;obtaining, respectively from at least Q second nodes of the N nodes, atleast Q echo messages each comprising (1) a consistent current viewknown to the second node indicating a primary node designated among theN nodes and (2) a consistent current sequence number known to the secondnode, the current sequence number associated with a latest block or alatest transaction committed by the second node, wherein the currentsequence number is larger than a first sequence number known to thefirst node, Q (quorum) is (N+F+1)/2 rounded up to the nearest integer,and F is (N−1)/3 rounded down to the nearest integer; and responsive toobtaining the at least Q echo messages, ending the view change protocol.

According to yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium is for maintaining a blockchain, wherein a number (N) ofnodes maintain the blockchain, the storage medium being associated witha first node of the N nodes that is in a view change protocol. Thestorage medium is configured with instructions executable by one or moreprocessors to cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: multicasting a view change message to at least some of the Nnodes; obtaining, respectively from at least Q second nodes of the Nnodes, at least Q echo messages each comprising (1) a consistent currentview known to the second node indicating a primary node designated amongthe N nodes and (2) a consistent current sequence number known to thesecond node, the current sequence number associated with a latest blockor a latest transaction committed by the second node, wherein thecurrent sequence number is larger than a first sequence number known tothe first node, Q (quorum) is (N+F+1)/2 rounded up to the nearestinteger, and F is (N−1)/3 rounded down to the nearest integer; andresponsive to obtaining the at least Q echo messages, ending the viewchange protocol.

According to still another embodiment, a view change apparatus is formaintaining a blockchain, wherein a number (N) of nodes maintain theblockchain, the apparatus acting as a first node of the N nodes that isin a view change protocol. The apparatus comprises a multicasting modulefor multicasting a view change message to at least some of the N nodes;an obtaining module for obtaining, respectively from at least Q secondnodes of the N nodes, at least Q echo messages each comprising (1) aconsistent current view known to the second node indicating a primarynode designated among the N nodes and (2) a consistent current sequencenumber known to the second node, the current sequence number associatedwith a latest block or a latest transaction committed by the secondnode, wherein the current sequence number is larger than a firstsequence number known to the first node, Q (quorum) is (N+F+1)/2 roundedup to the nearest integer, and F is (N−1)/3 rounded down to the nearestinteger; and an ending module for, responsive to obtaining the at leastQ echo messages, ending the view change protocol.

According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented view change methodto be implemented on a blockchain maintained by a number (N) of nodes isperformed by a second node of the N nodes that is in a normal operationprotocol. The method comprises: obtaining a view change message from afirst node that is in a view change protocol; determining a currentprotocol status of the second node; and in response to determining thatthe current protocol status is the normal operation protocol,transmitting to the first node an echo message comprising (1) a currentview known to the second node indicating a primary node designated amongthe N nodes and (2) a current sequence number known to the second node,the current sequence number associated with a latest block or a latesttransaction committed by the second node.

In some embodiments, the current sequence number is larger than a firstsequence number known to the first node.

In other embodiments, the current sequence number comprises a height ofa second copy of the blockchain maintained by the second node; and thefirst sequence number comprises a height of a first copy of theblockchain maintained by the first node.

In yet other embodiments, the current sequence number comprises asequence number of the latest transaction committed by the second node;and the first sequence number comprises a sequence number of a latesttransaction committed by the first node.

In still other embodiments, the echo message comprises a digitalsignature certifying the current view and the current sequence numberboth known to the second node.

In some embodiments, the echo message further comprises a digest of thelatest block or the latest transaction.

In other embodiments, the digest comprises a hash value of the latestblock or the latest transaction.

In yet other embodiments, the digest comprises a Merkle root of a blockof the latest block known to the second node but unknown to the firstnode.

In still other embodiments, the current sequence number known to thesecond node is (n+1); and the first sequence number known to the firstnode is n.

In some embodiments, the current view for the second node is v; and whenin the view change protocol, the first node has a first view larger thanv.

In other embodiments, the N nodes form a Practical Byzantine FaultTolerance (PBFT) network, in which one of the N nodes acts as theprimary node and the other (N−1) nodes act as backup nodes.

In still embodiments, a view change system comprises: one or moreprocessors; and one or more computer-readable memories coupled to theone or more processors and having instructions stored thereon that areexecutable by the one or more processors to perform the method of any ofthe preceding embodiments.

In some embodiments, a view change apparatus comprises a plurality ofmodules for performing the method of any of the preceding embodiments.

According to another embodiment, a view change system is for maintaininga blockchain, wherein a number (N) of nodes maintain the blockchain, thesystem acting as a second node of the N nodes that is in a normaloperation protocol. The system comprises one or more processors and oneor more non-transitory computer-readable memories coupled to the one ormore processors and configured with instructions executable by the oneor more processors to cause the system to perform operations comprising:obtaining a view change message from a first node that is in a viewchange protocol; determining a current protocol status of the secondnode; and in response to determining that the current protocol status isthe normal operation protocol, transmitting to the first node an echomessage comprising (1) a current view known to the second nodeindicating a primary node designated among the N nodes and (2) a currentsequence number known to the second node, the current sequence numberassociated with a latest block or a latest transaction committed by thesecond node.

According to yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium is for maintaining a blockchain, wherein a number (N) ofnodes maintain the blockchain, the storage medium being associated witha second node of the N nodes that is in a normal operation protocol. Thestorage medium is configured with instructions executable by one or moreprocessors to cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: obtaining a view change message from a first node that is ina view change protocol; determining a current protocol status of thesecond node; and in response to determining that the current protocolstatus is the normal operation protocol, transmitting to the first nodean echo message comprising (1) a current view known to the second nodeindicating a primary node designated among the N nodes and (2) a currentsequence number known to the second node, the current sequence numberassociated with a latest block or a latest transaction committed by thesecond node.

According to still another embodiment, a view change apparatus is formaintaining a blockchain, wherein a number (N) of nodes maintain theblockchain, the apparatus acting as a second node of the N nodes that isin a normal operation protocol. The apparatus comprises an obtainingmodule for obtaining a view change message from a first node that is ina view change protocol; a determining module for determining a currentprotocol status of the second node; and a transmitting module for, inresponse to determining that the current protocol status is the normaloperation protocol, transmitting to the first node an echo messagecomprising (1) a current view known to the second node indicating aprimary node designated among the N nodes and (2) a current sequencenumber known to the second node, the current sequence number associatedwith a latest block or a latest transaction committed by the secondnode.

Embodiments disclosed in the specification have one or more technicaleffects. In some embodiments, the methods and systems can ensure that anode (e.g., a first node) of a PBFT consensus system that has entered aview change protocol can efficiently exit the view change protocol andresume the normal operation protocol. In other embodiments, when asecond node in the normal operation protocol receives a view changemessage, it may reply with an echo message comprising a current view anda current sequence number known to the second node. The current viewindicates the second node's view of primary node, and the currentsequence number indicates the second node's latest committedtransaction(s) or a height of the blockchain (also known as blockheight) associated with latest block(s) of the blockchain maintained bythe second node. In yet other embodiments, the first node stuck in theview change protocol can obtain the current view and current sequencenumber from the echo message. Upon receiving a quorum number Q ofconsistent echo messages, the first node may compare them with its ownview and sequence number to determine if a majority of the nodes arestill in normal operation. If the majority of other nodes are still innormal operation, the first node may end the view change protocol andresume the normal operation protocol. In still other embodiments, asindicated by the sequence number in the echo messages, the majority ofnodes may have agreed upon a next transaction or a next block in theconsensus verification sequence, the next transaction or next block notyet recognized by the first node. By realizing that the majority ofnodes did not enter view change, the first node can smoothly end theview change protocol. In some embodiments, the first node can end viewchange even if the majority of nodes do not also enter view change andagree upon a new view to end the view change protocol. The number ofnodes in normal operation and contributing their computing power canthus be optimized.

These and other features of the systems, methods, and non-transitorycomputer readable media disclosed herein, as well as the methods ofoperation and functions of the related elements of structure and thecombination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become moreapparent upon consideration of the following description and theappended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all ofwhich form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to beexpressly understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes ofillustration and description only and are not intended as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a network, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 2A illustrates a normal operation protocol of PBFT.

FIG. 2B illustrates a normal operation protocol of PBFT with onenon-functioning replica.

FIG. 2C illustrates a normal operation protocol and a view changeprotocol of PBFT.

FIG. 3A illustrates a flow chart of switching pathways between normaloperation protocol and view change protocol.

FIG. 3B illustrates a flow chart of switching pathways between normaloperation protocol and view change protocol, in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of view change exiting steps, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 5A illustrates a flow chart of a view change method, in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 5B illustrates a flow chart of a view change method, in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 6A illustrates a block diagram of a view change system, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 6B illustrates a block diagram of a view change system, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a computer system in which any ofthe embodiments described herein may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, viewchange systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media thatcan be implemented in PBFT systems. In various embodiments, a pathway toexit the view change protocol and resume the normal operation protocolis provided. A node that has entered view change can be brought back tonormal operation without going through the traditional view changeprotocol, which requires at least Q nodes to enter view change. Q(quorum) is (N+F+1)/2 rounded up to the nearest integer, N representsthe total number of nodes and is an integer no less than four, and F is(N−1)/3 rounded down to the nearest integer. Similar to PBFT, thedisclosed systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable mediacan be applied to other consensus protocols such as SecureRing,Byzantine Paxos, Q/U, HQ, Zyzzvyva, ABsTRACTs, RBFT, Adapt, Tangaroa,CheapBFT, MinBFT, FastBFT, etc. Various aspects of PBFT can be referredto M. Castro, B. Liskov, “Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance,”Proceedings of the Third Symposium on Operating Systems Design andImplementation, (February 1999), which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

FIG. 1 shows a network 120, in accordance with various embodiments. Thecomponents presented below are intended to be illustrative. As shown,the network 120 may comprise a network system 112. The network system112 may comprise one or more nodes (e.g., node 0, node 1, node 2, node3, node 4, node i, etc.) implemented in one or more computing devicessuch as servers, computers, mobile phones, etc. The network system 112may be installed with appropriate software (e.g., consensus program)and/or hardware (e.g., wires, wireless connections) to access otherdevices of the network 120 or additional systems. The node may includeone or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one ormore processors. The memories may be non-transitory andcomputer-readable and be configured with instructions executable by oneor more processors to cause the one or more processors to performoperations described herein. Although the nodes are shown as singlecomponents in this figure, it will be appreciated that these nodes canbe implemented as single devices or multiple devices coupled together.In general, nodes may be able to communicate with one another and otherdevices outside the network system 112. For example, through one or morewired or wireless networks (e.g., the Internet), data can becommunicated.

In various embodiments, the network system 112 may be implemented as ablockchain network system comprising various blockchain nodes. As shown,the blockchain network system may comprise a plurality of blockchainnodes (e.g., node 0, node 1, node 2, node 3, node 4, node i, etc.). Theblockchain nodes may form a network (e.g., peer-to-peer network) withone blockchain node communicating with another. The order and the numberof the blockchain nodes as shown are merely examples and for thesimplicity of illustration. The blockchain nodes may be implemented inservers, computers, etc. Each blockchain node may correspond to one ormore physical hardware devices or virtual devices coupled together viavarious types of communication methods such as TCP/IP. Depending on theclassifications, the blockchain nodes may comprise full nodes, Gethnodes, consensus nodes, etc.

In various embodiments, the blockchain network system may interact withother systems and devices such as node A and node B (e.g., lightweightnodes). The interactions may involve transmission and reception of datafor the purpose of, for instance, receiving a request and returning anexecution result of the request. In one example, user A may want totransact with user B over the blockchain network. The transaction mayinvolve transferring some asset in user A's account to user B's account.User A and user B may use respective devices node A and node B installedwith an appropriate blockchain software (e.g., cryptocurrency wallet)for the transaction. Node A may access the blockchain throughcommunication with node 0, and node B may access the blockchain throughcommunication with node 1. For example, node A may submit a transactionrequest to the blockchain through node 0, and node B may submit a smartcontract execution request to the blockchain through node 1. Off theblockchain, node A and node B may have other channels of communication(e.g., regular internet communication without going through nodes 0 and1).

The blockchain nodes may each comprise or couple to a memory. In someembodiments, the memory may store a pool database. The pool database maybe accessible to the plurality of blockchain nodes in a distributedmanner. For example, the pool database may be respectively stored in thememories of the blockchain nodes. The pool database may store aplurality of transactions submitted by the one or more user devices suchas nodes A and B operated by users.

The blockchain nodes form a network (e.g., P2P network) that, throughconsensus, records transactions in a distributed ledger known asblockchain. The participants of a P2P network may be referred to asnodes, which maintain the blockchain. In a blockchain P2P network, eachnode participates in consensus verifications and stores a completeledger copy of the blockchain. Every node confirms batches oftransactions by a blockchain consensus method to ensure that all nodeshave consistent confirmation results and thus consistent copies of theblockchain.

One of the blockchain consensus methods is Practical Byzantine FaultTolerance (PBFT). Byzantine fault tolerance originates from theByzantine general problem. For a P2P network system, as long as thenumber of such non-functioning nodes is within a certain limit, thesystem can continue functioning properly. Such system is calledByzantine fault tolerant system. PBFT is an example of an optimizationof the Byzantine Fault Tolerance network ability. PBFT provides thenetwork with a Byzantine state machine, by copying servers andsynchronizing client interactions with server copies.

At the center of the PBFT operation is the maintenance of the consistentglobal view of the information recorded on the blockchain, which formsthe backbone for enabling users to interact with each other in adecentralized manner. The security of the PBFT consensus model iscritical to a blockchain platform. The two key properties of a consensusmodel are: 1) safety or consistency: all honest nodes produce the samevalid output; and 2) liveness: all honest nodes in consensus eventuallyproduce a value without being stalled at an intermediate step. A secureand robust PBFT consensus protocol needs to tolerate a wide variety ofByzantine behaviors, including failures of network nodes, partition ofthe network, message delay, out-of-order message delivery, messagecorruption, and the like and reach consensus in nodes as long as thenumber of non-functioning nodes within the system is limited. To thatend, the PBFT model works under either one of two mutually exclusiveprotocols: normal operation/consistency protocol and view changeprotocol that are further described below. In this specification,non-functioning means faulty and/or malicious, and functioning meansnon-faulty and honest. Possible fault or malicious acts may include:failure to delivery message, message delivery delay, out-of-ordermessage delivery, Byzantine faults (delivering arbitrary messages todifferent nodes, violating the protocol), etc.

In some embodiments, a Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) systemmay comprise N nodes, with one of the N nodes acting as a primary nodeand the other of the N nodes acting as backup nodes. The primary nodedesignation may not be fixed to a particular node, as another node maybe elected to become a new primary node through the view changeprotocol. For example, the primary node may be elected through a modulooperation, in which a functioning node with the lowest serial number(modulo view number) becomes the new primary node. The current view andthe total number of nodes N may determine the primary node id=(view+1)mod N. In PBFT, the view is changed each time a new primary node iselected. For example, with each view change, the view increasesmonotonically from zero. That is, the view may change with a change inthe primary node.

In some embodiments, the primary node is functioning at view v, and thenormal operation protocol is executed. For the normal operation, theprimary node and/or the backup nodes may receive requests associatedwith unverified transactions from one or more clients. For example, nodeA as a client may submit a request to the primary node and/or the backupnodes. The requests may include the unverified transactions (e.g.,transactions to be added to a new block in blockchain). The unverifiedtransactions may include, for example, blockchain-based financialtransactions, smart contract deployment or execution transactions, etc.The primary and backup nodes may or may not perform some preliminaryverification of the transactions. The backup nodes that receive therequests may forward the received requests to the primary node. Once thetransactions at the primary node reach a certain level or otherwisemeets a triggering condition, the primary node may initiate a round ofconsensus verification and propose a verification result for theunverified transactions. The backup nodes may respond to the consensusand confirm the proposal to reach a consensus. The requirements for thenodes are that they are deterministic and start in the same state. Thefinal result is that all honest nodes come to a consensus on the orderof the record and they either accept it or reject it. Onceconsensus-verified, the transactions may be packed into a new block ofthe blockchain and added to the local blockchain copies maintained bythe nodes. Also, the clients (e.g., node A) that originally sent therequests are notified.

To preserve safety, the main PBFT method comprises three phases for thenormal operation protocol: pre-prepare, prepare, and commit. Referringto FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C, an example of a PBFT system comprises fourreplicas (replica being another term for node): replica 0, replica 1,replica 2, and replica 3. The numbers 0 to 3 are replica serial numbersthat may be used to determine a new primary node. Replica 0 maycorrespond to primary node 0, and replicas 1, 2, and 3 may correspond tobackup nodes 1, 2, and 3. The replicas may be implemented, for example,in various blockchain nodes of the network system 112 described above. Anormal operation protocol is shown in FIG. 2A with no non-functioningnode present, and another normal operation protocol is shown in FIG. 2Bwith replica 3 being a non-functioning node. For both situations, thenormal operation protocol may be divided into a request phase, apre-prepare phase, a prepare phase, a commit phase, and a reply phase.

Referring to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the normal operation begins in therequest phase when a client submits a request (message) to the primarynode (replica 0), which is responsible for advocating for the request.The request may comprise information of the client, a request operation(e.g., a transaction request for consensus verification), and a requesttimestamp. The client (also referred to as a client node) may beimplemented, for example, in node A described above. Node A may be alightweight node (e.g., implemented in a mobile phone). Additionally oralternatively, the client may submit the request to a backup node, whichforwards the request to the primary node before the pre-prepare phase.Regardless whether the primary or backup node receives the request, thecorresponding node may multicast the received request to the other nodesin the network. Thus, the primary node may end up obtaining the pendingrequests submitted by the clients to the consensus network one way oranother.

Accordingly, the primary node acts like a leader and leads the backupnodes to verify the transactions associated with the requests. Theprimary node is responsible for ordering execution of requests withinits view. In the pre-prepare phase, the primary node may validate theobtained requests and propose a sequence number for each of therequests. Thus, the requests may each be assigned an increasing sequencenumber and thus put in order. Additionally, the pre-prepare message maycomprise a block height. The block height may be based on a currentheight of the blockchain. For example, if the blockchain currently has1000 blocks, the block height may be 1000 indicating that 1000 blocksalready exist in the blockchain, or may be 1001 indicating that thetransactions associated with the requests are proposed to be packed intothe 1001th block of the blockchain, which is yet to be verified by othernodes. The primary node may forward the requests along with the sequencenumbers and/or the block height. For example, after obtaining therequests, the primary node may arrange the requests in an order forexecuting the corresponding transactions by assigning the sequencenumbers and store to a list. The primary node may send a pre-preparemessage to every backup node (replica 1 to replica 3) in the PBFTnetwork system. As shown in FIG. 2A, the primary node may multicast thelist in or along with the pre-prepare message to the backup nodes. Asshown in FIG. 2B, even if a backup node (replica 3) is non-functioningand the primary node is unaware of that, the primary node may still sendthe pre-prepare message. Each backup node accepts the pre-preparemessage so long as it is valid. The pre-prepare message may contain aview number, sequence numbers, signatures, a digest (d), other metadata, and the like, which allow determination of the validity of themessage.

In the prepare phase, if a backup node accepts the pre-prepare message,it may follow up by multicasting a prepare message to other nodes in thePBFT network system including the primary node. Multicasting the preparemessage indicates that the sender node agrees to the order. Each preparemessage is accepted by the receiving node as long as being valid. Thevalidity of the prepare message can be similarly determined based on theview number, sequence number, signatures, a digest (d), other meta data,and the like. A node is prepared if it has received the original requestfrom the primary node, has pre-prepared (e.g., by multicasting thepre-prepare message), and has obtained at least (Q−1) distinct, valid,and consistent prepare messages that match the pre-prepare message. The(Q−1) prepare message may include the multicast prepare message. Q(quorum) is (N+F+1)/2 rounded up to the nearest integer, N representsthe total number of nodes and is an integer no less than four, and F is(N−1)/3 rounded down to the nearest integer. The PBFT network system ofQ nodes can tolerate up to F Byzantine faults. In some embodiments, whenN is at least (3F+1), Q is (2F+1). Here, (Q−1) instead of Q preparemessages are needed because the pre-prepare message can be treated as anequivalent of a prepare message of the primary node (although theprimary node may not send the prepare message per se). If counting thepre-prepare message as one more prepare message, then there would be atleast Q distinct and valid prepare messages indicating that at least Qof all nodes accepted the pre-prepare message, of which up to Fnon-functioning nodes can be tolerated. Thus, the pre-prepare to preparephase ensures that at least (Q−F) functioning nodes (Q prepared nodesbut accounting for up to F non-functioning nodes) agree that if arequest is executed in view v, it will be executed with its sequencenumber. The prepare phase ensures fault-tolerant consistent ordering ofeach request within views.

In some embodiments, after receiving the pre-prepare message and (Q−1)prepare messages, the backup node may verify the order and compare theverification result with a proposed verification result written by theprimary node in the pre-prepare message. There may be a number of waysto verify the order. For example, the proposed verification result maycomprise a proposed Merkle Patricia Trie root written into the digest(d). The backup node may arrange the transactions associated with therequests according to the order and compute a Merkle Patricia Trie rootto compare with the proposed Merkle Patricia Trie root. The computationmay also require certain existing information such as node hash ofexisting blocks in the blockchain. The comparison yields a digest (D(m))calculated by the backup node. If the digest (D(m)) is consistent withthe digest (d), the verification succeeds. Once verified, the backupnode may agree to the ordering of the requests (e.g., the order forpacking the transactions associated with the requests into a new blockof the blockchain). Similarly, the backup node may verify if the commitmessages (described below with respect to the commit phase) it receivescomprise the same digest D(m) to determine if other nodes also agree tothe ordering of the requests. If a prepared node has obtained Q commitmessages and all requests with lower sequence numbers have beenexecuted, the node may execute the request.

In some embodiments, the pre-prepare message may comprise a digest (d)of the new block or information otherwise related to executing therequests (e.g., transactions associated with the requests). The digest(d) (e.g., a hash value) may be the numeric result of applying a hashalgorithm to the data such as the transactions. The backup node mayexecute the transactions to confirm the digest (d). For a plurality ofrequests, the backup node may execute the requests according to theorder (that is, the sequence numbers of the requests) to obtain a digestD(m). If D(m) and d are consistent, the backup node multicasts a commitmessage (described below with respect to the commit phase) whichindicates that backup node agrees with the validation result of theprimary node. In some embodiments, the commit message indicates that thebackup node that multicast the commit message agrees to the pre-preparemessage and has obtained (Q−1) or more valid and consistent preparemessages from distinct nodes. For a pending request of a certainsequence number, if a prepared node has obtained Q commit messages andall requests with lower sequence numbers have been executed, the nodemay execute the request.

In the commit phase, if a node is prepared, it may multicast a commitmessage to other nodes. The node may receive commit messages from othernodes. Each node accepts the commit message so long as it is valid. Thecommit message may contain a view number, sequence numbers, signatures,a digest, other meta data, and the like, which allow determination ofthe validity of the message. If a node has obtained at least Q distinct,valid, and consistent commit messages, it indicates that a quorum numberof nodes have committed (that is, at least (Q−F) honest nodes areprepared) and consensus has been reached. The at least Q valid commitmessages may include the multicast commit message. Thus, the prepare tocommit phase ensures that at least (Q−F) functioning nodes agree (Qcommit messages but accounting for up to F non-functioning nodes) that arequest will be eventually executed in view v with its sequence number.Since the nodes may commit in different views (e.g., when some nodeshave already entered a new view and some other nodes remain in theprevious view), the commit messages received may correspond to commitsperformed in different views. The commit phase ensures fault-tolerantconsistent ordering of each request across views as functioning nodesagree on the sequence number of the each request.

In some embodiments, if a node has obtained at least Q distinct, valid,and consistent commit messages, the node may execute the correspondingrequest(s). For example, once Q commit messages have been obtained, itmeans that the new block is consensus-verified. Thus, the node may packthe new block into the locally maintained copy of blockchain. Otherwise,the backup node may directly trigger the view change protocol.

In the reply phase, after the execution of the request(s), the nodesends out a reply directly to the client. For a transaction packed intothe blockchain, the reply may comprise an address of the transaction inthe blockchain. Because up to F faults are allowed, the client waits for(Q−F) replies with valid signatures from different nodes and with thesame request timestamp and the same result of execution before acceptingthe result. For the PBFT network system shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B,there are four total nodes, so at most one (N=4, Q=3, and F=1)non-functioning node can be tolerated. Thus, even with replica 3 beingnon-functioning, the consensus can still be reached in FIG. 2B.

To preserve liveness, the primary node can be replaced in a view changeprotocol if a specific amount of time has passed without the primarynode multicasting the request. For example, the backup node may maintaina timer. The backup node starts the timer when it receives a request andthe timer is not already running. The backup node stops the timer whenit is no longer waiting to execute the request (i.e., the request isexecuted), but restarts the timer if at that point it is waiting toexecute one or more other requests. If the timer expires, the backupnode may determine that the primary node is non-functioning. Thus, thebackup node may multicast a view change message to other nodes. Foranother example, the backup node may determine that the primary node isnon-functioning. Thus, the backup node may multicast a view changemessage. For another example, the client may use a timer to determine iftoo much time has passed after client sends the request to the primarynode without receiving a response. When this timer expires, the clientsends its request to all nodes. If a node already knows about therequest, the rebroadcast is ignored. If the node does not know about therequest, it will start a timer. On timeout of the node's timer, the nodestarts the view change process by multicasting the view change messageto other backup nodes based on the suspicion that the primary node isnon-functioning. The view change message includes the system state (inthe form of archived messages including the prepare message of its ownduring the previous normal operation), so that other nodes will knowthat the sender node has not failed.

A supermajority of honest nodes can decide whether a primary node isnon-functioning and remove it with the next primary node in line as thereplacement. View change occurs when enough nodes believe that theprimary node has failed. A portion of FIG. 2C shows the view changeprotocol. Referring to FIG. 2C, under the view change phase, if thecurrent view is v, node p=(v+1) mod N waits for obtaining Q valid viewchange messages to become the new primary node, where p is thereplica/node serial number, v is the view number, N is the total numberof replicas/nodes. The Q view change messages may include the multicastview change message. Since the previous view is v, the view changemessages may each comprise a new view v+1. Once new primary node p hasobtained Q view change messages, it multicasts a new view message. Thismessage contains all the valid view change messages received as well asa set of all requests that may not have been completed yet due toprimary node failure. The new primary node may decide on the latestcheckpoint and ensure, among other things, that functioning nodes arecaught up with the latest states, which may involve re-committingprevious requests (e.g., prepared, committed, but not executed requests)in the new view. While the view change is occurring, no new requests areaccepted. After a node receives a valid new view message including the Qview change messages, it enters view v+1 and processes the set ofuncompleted requests. Thereafter, the normal operation protocolproceeds, and the nodes redo the requests between the sequence number ofthe latest stable checkpoint and the highest number in a preparemessage, but avoid re-executing requests. The corresponding switching ofstatus for a node between the normal operation protocol and the viewchange protocol is illustrated in FIG. 3A. As shown in FIG. 3A, forexample, a timeout for a backup node may trigger a switch from thenormal operation protocol (e.g., during any phase of the normaloperation protocol) to the view change protocol (e.g., starting the viewchange phase). After executing the view change protocol, once obtaininga valid new view message, the backup node may exit the view changeprotocol and resume the normal operation protocol to execute the pendingrequests. The valid new message may include the Q view change messagesfrom different nodes.

As shown in FIG. 3B, an alternative pathway may be provided for the nodeto switch from the view change protocol to the normal operationprotocol, according to various embodiments. In some embodiments, thenode in the view change protocol may obtain Q echo messages to end theview change protocol. The echo message may include a current view, acurrent sequence number, and/or a digest. Based on the echo messages,the node in the view change protocol may determine that the majority ofother nodes are in normal operation and thus exit view change. Moredetails are described below with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of view change exiting steps 410,according to various embodiments of this specification. The steps 410may be implemented by one or more components of the system 112 of FIG. 1(e.g., node 0, node 1, node 2, . . . , or node i described above or asimilar device, or a combination of any of the nodes and one or moreadditional devices such as node A). The steps 410 may be implemented byone or more blockchain nodes (e.g., primary node, backup node). Theprimary node and backup node may be those defined in the PBFT model. Thesteps 410 may be implemented by a view change system or device (e.g.,computer, server) comprising various hardware machine and/or software.For example, the view change exiting system or device may comprise oneor more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readablestorage media (e.g., one or more memories) coupled to the one or moreprocessors and configured with instructions executable by the one ormore processors to cause the system or device (e.g., the processor) toperform the steps 410. The operations presented below are intended to beillustrative. Depending on the implementation, the operations mayinclude additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in variousorders or in parallel.

At step 411, a first node (e.g., a backup node) may enter a view changeprotocol. At step 412, the first node may multicast a view changemessage. To enter view change, the first node ends the normal operationprotocol and enters the view change phase of the view change protocoldescribed above. In one embodiment, the first node may enter the viewchange protocol by multicasting the view change message. For example, abackup node may multicast the view change message to the primary nodeand other backup nodes. The first node may determine that the primarynode is faulty or otherwise non-functioning and start multicasting theview change message according to the view change protocol.

The primary node and the (N−1) backup nodes may form a PBFT consensussystem. Here, the primary node may or may not be truly non-functioning.If the primary node is truly non-functioning, a majority of backup nodes(e.g., Q backup nodes) may each enter the view change protocol and eachmulticast a view change message. When the first node obtains Q viewchange messages, it can determine that the majority of nodes havereached a consensus that the primary node is non-functioning and a newprimary node needs to be elected. The rest of the view change protocolmay follow. However, if the primary node is still functioning, the firstnode may end the view change protocol according the following steps. Forsuch cases, the first node may have entered view change due to mistake,unstable connection, and/or other reasons, which cause a delay insending and/or receiving the pre-prepare message, prepare message(s), orcommit message(s) described earlier.

At step 413, once receiving the review change message, the second nodemay determine if it is in the normal operation protocol or view changeprotocol. If in normal operation, at step 414, the second node may replywith an echo message. An echo message may be considered a response tothe received view change message. The word “echo” does not place alimitation to the type of the message. If in view change, the secondnode may multicast its view change message according to the view changeprotocol, or do nothing if it has already multicast its view changemessage.

In one embodiment, the echo message may include a current view and acurrent sequence number both known to the second node. The current viewmay indicate which of the nodes is known to the second node as theprimary node. The current sequence number may indicate (1) a sequencenumber of the latest request (e.g., transaction request) committed bythe second node in the commit phase, or (2) a block height indicatingthe latest block committed by the second node in the commit phase. Theblock height may be based on the number of blocks in the blockchain. Forexample, the height of a block may be the number of blocks in the chainbetween it and the genesis block). The very first block in theblockchain may have a block height of 0, the next block may have a blockheight of 1, and so forth. This example is not intended to limit the wayof representing the block height, which can have other types ofrepresentation as long as indicating a serial number of the block in theblockchain. Optionally, the echo message may also comprise a digest ofthe latest request or of the latest block.

At step 415, the first node may obtain the echo messages respectivelyfrom the second nodes. Responsive to obtaining Q or more consistent echomessages, the first node may end the view change protocol to enter thenormal operation protocol. The Q or more echo messages mean that atleast Q nodes agree to a consistent “view” and “sequence number.” Theconsistent “view” and “sequence number” indicate that the majority ofthe nodes are functioning normally in their normal operation protocolsas they have successfully consensus-verified one or more transactionsfor the request or block. If the first node does not obtain Q echomessages with consistent views and sequence numbers, the first node mayremain in the view change protocol.

In some embodiments, the current sequence number known to the Q or moresecond nodes is larger than the first sequence number known by the firstnode (e.g., larger by one). This indicates that the majority of thenodes have completed one round of consensus verification of a request ora block, which was missed by the first node. Thus, the first nodereceiving the at least Q echo messages may know through the consistentecho messages that the majority of the nodes are still in normaloperation.

In some embodiments, the first node may enter normal operation based atleast on the current view. For example, upon exiting the view change,the first node may enter the normal operation protocol using the currentview as its own view. The first node may also synchronize its copy ofblockchain with the latest copy of the blockchain by incorporating theinformation (e.g., the digest) of the latest block. Thus, the first nodemay resume the normal operation protocol with the correct view andupdated copy of blockchain. Further, the time it takes for the firstnode to resume normal operation from entering view change may bepredicted. Because the height of the blockchain increases with a newblock being added, the first node can discover its mistake by the timeone new block is added to the blockchain since the first node enteredview change and missed the consensus verification of the new block.Thus, the time it takes to resume normal operation may be less than thetime for completing one round of consensus verification.

As such, a node that entered view change can efficiently end the viewchange protocol through an alternative pathway and rejoin other normallyoperating nodes. This pathway can be useful to nodes that entered viewchange, for example, due to mistake, unstable connection, and/or otherreasons. This pathway circumvents the traditional view change protocol,which requires Q nodes to agree to view change in order to change theprimary node and resume normal operation. Thus, overall networkresources can be more efficiently utilized by ensuring a maximum numberof nodes at normal operation.

FIG. 5A illustrates a flowchart of a view change method 510, accordingto various embodiments of this specification. The method 510 may beimplemented by one or more components of the system 112 of FIG. 1 (e.g.,node 0, node 1, node 2, . . . , or node i described above or a similardevice, or a combination of any of the nodes and one or more additionaldevices such as node A). The method 510 may be implemented by one ormore blockchain nodes (e.g., a backup node in a PBFT system). Theprimary node and backup node may be those defined in the PBFT model. Themethod 510 may be implemented by a view change system or device (e.g.,computer, server) comprising various hardware machine and/or software.For example, the view change system or device may comprise one or moreprocessors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storagemedia (e.g., one or more memories) coupled to the one or more processorsand configured with instructions executable by the one or moreprocessors to cause the system or device (e.g., the processor) toperform the method 510. The operations of method 510 presented below areintended to be illustrative. Depending on the implementation, the method510 may include additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed invarious orders or in parallel. Further details of the method 510 can bereferred to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 and related descriptions above. The method510 may be performed by a first node.

In various embodiments, the method 510 may be a computer-implementedview change method to be implemented on a blockchain maintained by anumber (N) of nodes (e.g., nodes of a PBFT consensus system). In oneembodiment, the N nodes form a Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance(PBFT) network, in which one of the N nodes acts as the primary node andthe other (N−1) nodes act as backup nodes. The method 510 may beperformed by a first node (e.g., backup node) of the N nodes that is ina view change protocol.

In some embodiments, before block 511, the first node may have enteredview change. As entering view change, the first node may multicast aview change message to the other nodes.

Block 511 includes: multicasting a view change message to at least someof the N nodes. For example, the first node may be a backup node and maymulticast the view change message to the primary node and other backupnodes. The primary node and the backup nodes may form a PBFT consensussystem. The view change message indicates that the first node has exitedits normal operation protocol and entered a view change protocol. If thefirst node does not receive (Q−1) similar view change messages fromother nodes (so obtaining a total of Q consistent view change messagesincluding its own view change message), the threshold for thetraditional view change protocol will not be met. Regardless, thefollowing steps may allow the first node to end the view change protocoland enter the normal operation protocol.

Block 512 includes: obtaining, respectively from at least Q second nodesof the N nodes, at least Q echo messages each comprising (1) aconsistent current view known to the second node indicating a primarynode designated among the N nodes and (2) a consistent current sequencenumber known to the second node, the current sequence number associatedwith a latest block or a latest transaction committed by the secondnode, wherein the current sequence number is larger than a firstsequence number known to the first node, Q (quorum) is (N+F+1)/2 roundedup to the nearest integer, and F is (N−1)/3 rounded down to the nearestinteger. N can be any integer no less than four. In some embodiments,when N is at least (3F+1), Q is (2F+1). The current sequence numberassociated with the latest transaction may comprise, for example, asequence number of one or more latest transactions committed by thecorresponding second node. The current sequence number associated withthe latest block may comprise, for example, a height of a copy of theblockchain maintained by the corresponding second node. As describedearlier, the height of the blockchain may depend on the number of blocksin the blockchain and increase with an addition of the latest block. Inone embodiment, for the first node to end view change, the at least Qecho messages may include consistent current views and consistentcurrent sequence numbers. In some embodiments, the at least Q echomessages are respectively sent by the at least Q second nodes to thefirst node in response to the at least Q second nodes obtaining the viewchange message.

In some embodiments, the term “transaction” may be implemented via ablockchain system and recorded to the blockchain. The transaction mayinclude, for example, a financial transaction, a blockchain contracttransaction for deploying or invoking a blockchain contract, atransaction that updates a state (e.g., world state) of the blockchain,etc. The transaction does not have to involve a financial exchange.

In various embodiments, the current view for the at least Q second nodesis v; and when in the view change protocol, the first node has a firstview larger than v. For example, the first and second nodes may all haveview v before the first node entered view change, but then the firstnode suspected that the first node was non-functioning and has enteredview change with view v+1, while the second nodes are still at view v.

In some embodiments, the current sequence number comprises a height of asecond copy of the blockchain (also known as block height) maintained bythe second node; and the first sequence number comprises a height of afirst copy of the blockchain maintained by the first node. In oneembodiment, the current sequence number known to the at least Q secondnodes is (n+1); and the first sequence number known to the first node isn. For example, before the first node entered view change, the first andsecond nodes may all have started with a blockchain of block height of99 (that is, 100 blocks in the blockchain) in view v. After the firstnode entered the view change protocol and thus dropped out of theconsensus verification, the second nodes have reached a consensus on the101^(th) block and thereby increased the block height to 100. The101^(th) block unknown to the first node stuck in the view changeprotocol may cause the difference between the current sequence number(100) and the first sequence number (99).

In other embodiments, the current sequence number comprises a sequencenumber of the latest transaction committed by the second node; and thefirst sequence number comprises a sequence number of a latesttransaction committed by the first node. In one embodiment, the currentsequence number known to the at least Q second nodes is (n+1); and thefirst sequence number known to the first node is n. For example, beforethe first node entered view change, the first and second nodes may allhave started with 80 requests (e.g., transaction requests) for consensusverification. The requests may be assigned increasing sequence numbers.In view v, the first and second nodes may have consensus-verified 50requests. After the first node entered the view change protocol and thusdropped out of the consensus verification, the second nodes have reacheda consensus on the 51^(st) request and thereby increased the sequencenumber of a next pending request to 52. The 51^(st) request as beingconsensus verified is unknown to the first node stuck in the view changeprotocol and may cause the difference between the current sequencenumber (51) and the first sequence number (50).

In some embodiments, the echo message further comprises a digest of thelatest block or the latest transaction. The digest (e.g., a hash value)may be the numeric result of applying a hash algorithm to the data suchas the transactions. In one embodiment, the digest comprises a hashvalue of the latest block or the latest transaction. In one example, thedigest comprises a transaction hash of the latest transaction committedby the second node but not committed by the first node. In anotherexample, the digest comprises transaction hashes of latest transactionscommitted by the second node but not committed by the first node. Inanother example, the digest comprises a Merkle root of the latest blockknown to the second node but unknown to the first node. In anotherexample, the digest comprises Merkle roots of latest blocks known to thesecond node but unknown to the first node.

In some embodiments, the “view,” “sequence number,” and/or “digest” maybe included in the echo message as one or more digital signatures (orsignatures for short). The echo message comprises a digital signaturecertifying the current view and the current sequence number both knownto the second node. The “signature” shows endorsement from the entitythat sent the corresponding message. The term “signature” can be anyform of indication of approval. In one embodiment, the “view” “sequencenumber” and/or “digest” may be first input to a one-way hash function,the output hash value of which is encrypted with the correspondingnode's private key to obtain the digital signature. The encryption maybe achieved through various ways such as Public-Private Key Encryption(also known as asymmetric cryptography), Digital Signature Algorithm(DSA) such as Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), etc.For example, using a public key algorithm, such as RSA, one can generatetwo keys that are mathematically linked: one private and one public.Digital signatures work because public key cryptography depends on twomutually authenticating cryptographic keys. The node creating thedigital signature may use its own private key to encrypt “view,”“sequence number,” and/or “digest”; the only way to decrypt that data iswith the signer node's public key. Thus, the digital signature canrepresent the “view,” “sequence number,” and/or “digest” known to thecorresponding node.

Block 513 includes, responsive to obtaining the at least Q echomessages, ending the view change protocol. In some embodiments, endingthe view change protocol comprises: synchronizing a first copy of theblockchain maintained by the first node with a second copy of theblockchain maintained by the second node; and exiting the view changeprotocol to enter a normal operation protocol using the consistentcurrent view for the first node. Thus, if the second nodes are in view vand the first node was stuck in view (v+1), the first node can end theview change protocol and enter the normal operation protocol in view v.

FIG. 5B illustrates a flowchart of a view change method 520, accordingto various embodiments of this specification. The method 520 may beimplemented by one or more components of the system 112 of FIG. 1 (e.g.,node 0, node 1, node 2, . . . , or node i described above or a similardevice, or a combination of any of the nodes and one or more additionaldevices such as node A). The method 520 may be implemented by one ormore blockchain nodes (e.g., a primary node or a backup node in a PBFTsystem). The primary node and backup node may be those defined in thePBFT model. The method 520 may be implemented by a view change system ordevice (e.g., computer, server) comprising various hardware machineand/or software. For example, the view change system or device maycomprise one or more processors and one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media (e.g., one or more memories) coupled tothe one or more processors and configured with instructions executableby the one or more processors to cause the system or device (e.g., theprocessor) to perform the method 520. The operations of method 520presented below are intended to be illustrative. Depending on theimplementation, the method 520 may include additional, fewer, oralternative steps performed in various orders or in parallel. Furtherdetails of the method 520 can be referred to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 andrelated descriptions above. The method 520 may be performed by a secondnode.

In various embodiments, the method 520 may be a computer-implementedview change method to be implemented on a blockchain maintained by anumber (N) of nodes (e.g., nodes of a PBFT consensus system). In oneembodiment, the N nodes form a Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance(PBFT) network, in which one of the N nodes acts as the primary node andthe other (N−1) nodes act as backup nodes. The method 520 may beperformed by a second node (e.g., primary or backup node) of the N nodesthat is in a normal operation protocol.

Block 521 includes: obtaining a view change message from a first nodethat is in a view change protocol. In some embodiments, before block521, the first node may have entered view change. As entering viewchange, the first node may multicast a view change message to the othernodes. Thus, the second node may obtain such view change message.

Block 522 includes: determining a current protocol status of the secondnode. The second node may be either in a normal operation protocol or aview change protocol.

Block 523 includes: in response to determining that the current protocolstatus is the normal operation protocol, transmitting to the first nodean echo message comprising (1) a current view known to the second nodeindicating a primary node designated among the N nodes and (2) a currentsequence number known to the second node, the current sequence numberassociated with a latest block or a latest transaction committed by thesecond node.

In various embodiments, the current view for the at least Q second nodesis v; and when in the view change protocol, the first node has a firstview larger than v. For example, the first and second nodes may all haveview v before the first node entered view change, but then the firstnode suspected that the first node was non-functioning and has enteredview change with view v+1, while the second nodes are still at view v.In some embodiments, the current sequence number is larger than a firstsequence number known to the first node. Various examples of sequencenumbers are described above. Also as described herein, the echo messagemay further comprise a digest of the latest block or the latesttransaction.

FIG. 6A illustrates a block diagram of a view change system 610, inaccordance with various embodiments. The view change system 610 (e.g., acomputer system) may be an example of an implementation of node 0, node1, node 2, . . . , or node i described above or a similar device, or acombination of any of the nodes and an additional device (e.g., node A).The method 510 may be implemented by the view change system 610. Theview change system 610 may comprise one or more processors and one ormore non-transitory computer-readable storage media (e.g., one or morememories) coupled to the one or more processors and configured withinstructions executable by the one or more processors to cause thesystem or device (e.g., the processor) to perform the method 510. Theview change system 610 may comprise various units/modules correspondingto the instructions (e.g., software instructions).

In some embodiments, the view change system 610 may be referred to as aview change apparatus (with respect to the first node). The view changeapparatus may be for maintaining a blockchain, wherein a number (N) ofnodes maintain the blockchain with one of the N nodes acting as aprimary node and the other (N−1) nodes acting as backup nodes, the viewchange apparatus acting as a first node of the N nodes that is in a viewchange protocol. The view change apparatus may comprise one or moreprocessors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable memoriescoupled to the one or more processors and configured with instructionsexecutable by the one or more processors to cause the apparatus toperform operations. The view change apparatus may comprise variousunits/modules corresponding to the instructions (e.g., softwareinstructions). The view change apparatus may comprise a multicastingmodule 611 for multicasting a view change message to at least some ofthe N nodes; an obtaining module 612 for obtaining, respectively from atleast Q second nodes of the N nodes, at least Q echo messages eachcomprising (1) a consistent current view known to the second nodeindicating a primary node designated among the N nodes and (2) aconsistent current sequence number known to the second node, the currentsequence number associated with a latest block or a latest transactioncommitted by the second node, wherein the current sequence number islarger than a first sequence number known to the first node, Q (quorum)is (N+F+1)/2 rounded up to the nearest integer, and F is (N−1)/3 roundeddown to the nearest integer; and an ending module 613 for, responsive toobtaining the at least Q echo messages, ending the view change protocol.

FIG. 6B illustrates a block diagram of a view change system 620, inaccordance with various embodiments. The view change system 620 (e.g., acomputer system) may be an example of an implementation of node 0, node1, node 2, . . . , or node i described above or a similar device, or acombination of any of the nodes and an additional device (e.g., node A).The method 520 may be implemented by the view change system 620. Theview change system 620 may comprise one or more processors and one ormore non-transitory computer-readable storage media (e.g., one or morememories) coupled to the one or more processors and configured withinstructions executable by the one or more processors to cause thesystem or device (e.g., the processor) to perform the method 520. Theview change system 620 may comprise various units/modules correspondingto the instructions (e.g., software instructions).

In some embodiments, the view change system 620 may be referred to as aview change apparatus (with respect to the second node). The view changeapparatus may be for maintaining a blockchain, wherein a number (N) ofnodes maintain the blockchain with one of the N nodes acting as aprimary node and the other (N−1) nodes acting as backup nodes, the viewchange apparatus acting as a second node of the N nodes that is in anormal operation protocol. The view change apparatus may comprise one ormore processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readablememories coupled to the one or more processors and configured withinstructions executable by the one or more processors to cause theapparatus to perform operations. The view change apparatus may comprisevarious units/modules corresponding to the instructions (e.g., softwareinstructions). The view change apparatus may comprise an obtainingmodule 621 for obtaining a view change message from a first node that isin a view change protocol; a determining module 622 for determining acurrent protocol status of the second node; and a transmitting module623 for, in response to determining that the current protocol status isthe normal operation protocol, transmitting to the first node an echomessage comprising (1) a current view known to the second nodeindicating a primary node designated among the N nodes and (2) a currentsequence number known to the second node, the current sequence numberassociated with a latest block or a latest transaction committed by thesecond node.

The techniques described herein are implemented by one or morespecial-purpose computing devices. The special-purpose computing devicesmay be desktop computer systems, server computer systems, portablecomputer systems, handheld devices, networking devices or any otherdevice or combination of devices that incorporate hard-wired and/orprogram logic to implement the techniques. The special-purpose computingdevices may be implemented as personal computers, laptops, cellularphones, camera phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants, mediaplayers, navigation devices, email devices, game consoles, tabletcomputers, wearable devices, or a combination thereof. Computingdevice(s) are generally controlled and coordinated by operating systemsoftware. Conventional operating systems control and schedule computerprocesses for execution, perform memory management, provide file system,networking, I/O services, and provide a user interface functionality,such as a graphical user interface (“GUI”), among other things. Thevarious systems, apparatuses, storage media, modules, and unitsdescribed herein may be implemented in the special-purpose computingdevices, or one or more computing chips of the one or morespecial-purpose computing devices. In some embodiments, the instructionsdescribed herein may be implemented in a virtual machine on thespecial-purpose computing device. When executed, the instructions maycause the special-purpose computing device to perform various methodsdescribed herein. The virtual machine may include a software, hardware,or a combination thereof. For example, the virtual machine may includean Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) software that provides the runtimeenvironment for smart contracts in Ethereum.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 700 uponwhich any of the embodiments described herein may be implemented. Thesystem 700 may perform any of the methods described herein (e.g., theview change method 510, the view change method 520). The system 700 maybe implemented in any of the systems described herein (e.g., the viewchange system 610, the view change system 620). The system 700 may beimplemented in any of the nodes described herein and configured toperform corresponding steps for implementing blockchain contract. Thecomputer system 700 includes a bus 702 or other communication mechanismfor communicating information, one or more hardware processor(s) 704coupled with bus 702 for processing information. Hardware processor(s)704 may be, for example, one or more general purpose microprocessors.

The computer system 700 also includes a main memory 706, such as arandom access memory (RAM), cache and/or other dynamic storage devices,coupled to bus 702 for storing information and instructions executableby processor(s) 704. Main memory 706 also may be used for storingtemporary variables or other intermediate information during executionof instructions executable by processor(s) 704. Such instructions, whenstored in storage media accessible to processor(s) 704, render computersystem 700 into a special-purpose machine that is customized to performthe operations specified in the instructions. The computer system 700further includes a read only memory (ROM) 708 or other static storagedevice coupled to bus 702 for storing static information andinstructions for processor(s) 704. A storage device 710, such as amagnetic disk, optical disk, or USB thumb drive (Flash drive), etc., isprovided and coupled to bus 702 for storing information andinstructions.

The computer system 700 may implement the techniques described hereinusing customized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmwareand/or program logic which in combination with the computer systemcauses or programs computer system 700 to be a special-purpose machine.According to one embodiment, the operations, methods, and processesdescribed herein are performed by computer system 700 in response toprocessor(s) 704 executing one or more sequences of one or moreinstructions contained in main memory 706. Such instructions may be readinto main memory 706 from another storage medium, such as storage device710. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory706 causes processor(s) 704 to perform the process steps describedherein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used inplace of or in combination with software instructions.

The main memory 706, the ROM 708, and/or the storage device 710 mayinclude non-transitory storage media. The term “non-transitory media,”and similar terms, as used herein refers to media that store data and/orinstructions that cause a machine to operate in a specific fashion, themedia excludes transitory signals. Such non-transitory media maycomprise non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile mediaincludes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device710. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 706.Common forms of non-transitory media include, for example, a floppydisk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, orany other magnetic data storage medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical datastorage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, aPROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip orcartridge, and networked versions of the same.

The computer system 700 also includes a network interface 718 coupled tobus 702. Network interface 718 provides a two-way data communicationcoupling to one or more network links that are connected to one or morelocal networks. For example, network interface 718 may be an integratedservices digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellite modem, or amodem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding typeof telephone line. As another example, network interface 718 may be alocal area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connectionto a compatible LAN (or WAN component to communicate with a WAN).Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation,network interface 718 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic oroptical signals that carry digital data streams representing varioustypes of information.

The computer system 700 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link and network interface718. In the Internet example, a server might transmit a requested codefor an application program through the Internet, the ISP, the localnetwork and the network interface 718.

The received code may be executed by processor(s) 704 as it is received,and/or stored in storage device 710, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution.

Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in thepreceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially automatedby, code modules executed by one or more computer systems or computerprocessors comprising computer hardware. The processes and algorithmsmay be implemented partially or wholly in application-specificcircuitry.

The various features and processes described above may be usedindependently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. Allpossible combinations and sub-combinations are intended to fall withinthe scope of this specification. In addition, certain method or processblocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processesdescribed herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, andthe blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in othersequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or statesmay be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, ormultiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state.The examples of blocks or states may be performed in serial, inparallel, or in some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to orremoved from the disclosed embodiments. The examples of systems andcomponents described herein may be configured differently thandescribed. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, orrearranged compared to the disclosed embodiments.

The various operations of methods described herein may be performed, atleast partially, by one or more processors that are temporarilyconfigured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform therelevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, suchprocessors may constitute processor-implemented engines that operate toperform one or more operations or functions described herein.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors beingan example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations ofa method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented engines. Moreover, the one or more processors mayalso operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a“cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS).For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a groupof computers (as examples of machines including processors), with theseoperations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and viaone or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application ProgramInterface (API)).

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployedacross a number of machines. In some embodiments, the processors orprocessor-implemented engines may be located in a single geographiclocation (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or aserver farm). In other embodiments, the processors orprocessor-implemented engines may be distributed across a number ofgeographic locations.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in configurations may beimplemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structuresand functionality presented as a single component may be implemented asseparate components. These and other variations, modifications,additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matterherein. Furthermore, related terms (such as “first,” “second,” “third,”etc.) used herein do not denote any order, height, or importance, butrather are used to distinguish one element from another element.Furthermore, the terms “a,” “an,” and “plurality” do not denote alimitation of quantity herein, but rather denote the presence of atleast one of the articles mentioned.

Although an overview of the subject matter has been described withreference to specific embodiments, various modifications and changes maybe made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope ofembodiments of the this specification. The Detailed Description shouldnot to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of variousembodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the fullrange of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

1. A computer-implemented consensus method to be implemented on ablockchain maintained by a number (N) of nodes, the method performed bya first node of the N nodes that is in a view change protocol, themethod comprising: multicasting a view change message to at least someof the N nodes; obtaining, respectively from at least Q second nodes ofthe N nodes, at least Q echo messages each comprising (1) a consistentcurrent view known to the second node indicating a primary nodedesignated among the N nodes and (2) a consistent current sequencenumber known to the second node, the current sequence number associatedwith a latest block or a latest transaction committed by the secondnode, wherein the current sequence number is larger than a firstsequence number known to the first node, Q (quorum) is (N+F+1)/2 roundedup to the nearest integer, and F is (N−1)/3 rounded down to the nearestinteger; and responsive to obtaining the at least Q echo messages,ending the view change protocol.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: theat least Q echo messages are respectively sent by the at least Q secondnodes to the first node in response to the at least Q second nodesobtaining the view change message.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein:the current sequence number comprises a height of a second copy of theblockchain maintained by the second node; and the first sequence numbercomprises a height of a first copy of the blockchain maintained by thefirst node.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein: the current sequencenumber comprises a sequence number of the latest transaction committedby the second node; and the first sequence number comprises a sequencenumber of a latest transaction committed by the first node.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein: the echo message comprises a digitalsignature certifying the current view and the current sequence numberboth known to the second node.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein: theecho message further comprises a digest of the latest block or thelatest transaction.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein: the digestcomprises a hash value of the latest block or the latest transaction. 8.The method of claim 6, wherein: the digest comprises a Merkle root of ablock of the latest block known to the second node but unknown to thefirst node.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein ending the view changeprotocol comprises: synchronizing a first copy of the blockchainmaintained by the first node with a second copy of the blockchainmaintained by second node; and exiting the view change protocol to entera normal operation protocol using the current view for the first node.10. The method of claim 1, wherein: the N nodes form a PracticalByzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) network, in which one of the N nodesacts as the primary node and the other (N−1) nodes act as backup nodes;the current sequence number known to the at least Q second nodes is(n+1); the first sequence number known to the first node is n; thecurrent view for the at least Q second nodes is v; and when in the viewchange protocol, the first node has a first view larger than v.
 11. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium for maintaining ablockchain, wherein a number (N) of nodes maintain the blockchain, thestorage medium being associated with a first node of the N nodes that isin a view change protocol, the storage medium configured withinstructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one ormore processors to perform operations comprising: multicasting a viewchange message to at least some of the N nodes; obtaining, respectivelyfrom at least Q second nodes of the N nodes, at least Q echo messageseach comprising (1) a consistent current view known to the second nodeindicating a primary node designated among the N nodes and (2) aconsistent current sequence number known to the second node, the currentsequence number associated with a latest block or a latest transactioncommitted by the second node, wherein the current sequence number islarger than a first sequence number known to the first node, Q (quorum)is (N+F+1)/2 rounded up to the nearest integer, and F is (N−1)/3 roundeddown to the nearest integer; and responsive to obtaining the at least Qecho messages, ending the view change protocol.
 12. The storage mediumof claim 11, wherein: the at least Q echo messages are respectively sentby the at least Q second nodes to the first node in response to the atleast Q second nodes obtaining the view change message.
 13. The storagemedium of claim 11, wherein: the current sequence number comprises aheight of a second copy of the blockchain maintained by the second node;and the first sequence number comprises a height of a first copy of theblockchain maintained by the first node.
 14. The storage medium of claim11, wherein: the current sequence number comprises a sequence number ofthe latest transaction committed by the second node; and the firstsequence number comprises a sequence number of a latest transactioncommitted by the first node.
 15. The storage medium of claim 11,wherein: the echo message comprises a digital signature certifying thecurrent view and the current sequence number both known to the secondnode.
 16. A view change system for maintaining a blockchain, wherein anumber (N) of nodes maintain the blockchain, the system acting as afirst node of the N nodes that is in a view change protocol, the systemcomprising one or more processors and one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable memories coupled to the one or more processors andconfigured with instructions executable by the one or more processors tocause the system to perform operations comprising: multicasting a viewchange message to at least some of the N nodes; obtaining, respectivelyfrom at least Q second nodes of the N nodes, at least Q echo messageseach comprising (1) a consistent current view known to the second nodeindicating a primary node designated among the N nodes and (2) aconsistent current sequence number known to the second node, the currentsequence number associated with a latest block or a latest transactioncommitted by the second node, wherein the current sequence number islarger than a first sequence number known to the first node, Q (quorum)is (N+F+1)/2 rounded up to the nearest integer, and F is (N−1)/3 roundeddown to the nearest integer; and responsive to obtaining the at least Qecho messages, ending the view change protocol.
 17. The system of claim16, wherein: the at least Q echo messages are respectively sent by theat least Q second nodes to the first node in response to the at least Qsecond nodes obtaining the view change message.
 18. The system of claim16, wherein: the current sequence number comprises a height of a secondcopy of the blockchain maintained by the second node; and the firstsequence number comprises a height of a first copy of the blockchainmaintained by the first node.
 19. The system of claim 16, wherein: thecurrent sequence number comprises a sequence number of the latesttransaction committed by the second node; and the first sequence numbercomprises a sequence number of a latest transaction committed by thefirst node.
 20. The system of claim 16, wherein: the echo messagecomprises a digital signature certifying the current view and thecurrent sequence number both known to the second node.